NIA Arrests Kolkata Resident Zafar Riaz for Alleged Espionage Tied to Pakistan
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has arrested a Kolkata resident, Zafar Riaz alias Rizvi, for his alleged involvement in an anti-India espionage network and terror conspiracy. Riaz is accused of clandestinely passing highly sensitive, confidential security-related information to Pakistan Intelligence Officers (PIOs). A Look Out Circular had already been issued against him, and formal proceedings were underway to declare him a proclaimed offender when he was taken into custody. The agency has booked the accused under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Official Secrets Act, and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
According to NIA investigators, Riaz, who has a prior conviction in an older espionage case, had been frequently traveling between India and Pakistan since 2005. During one of those visits, he was allegedly recruited and cultivated by PIOs who promised him financial rewards and Pakistani citizenship; his wife is a Pakistani national, and his children also hold citizenship there. In this specific racket, Riaz reportedly facilitated other terror operatives by providing Indian telecom mobile One-Time Passwords (OTPs) to a PIO to help activate fraudulent WhatsApp accounts. These accounts were later utilized by the handler to coordinate and secretly communicate with other co-accused individuals, including dismissed Central Reserve Police Force Assistant Sub Inspector Moti Ram Jat, who was arrested last year for leaking critical defense data.
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